Definition
A choice or course of action that is very likely to succeed; something that involves minimal risk and has a high probability of a positive outcome.
Etymology
This phrase comes from gambling terminology, where a 'safe bet' refers to a wager with very favorable odds and minimal risk of loss. The concept expanded beyond gambling in the early 1900s to describe any decision or prediction that carries low risk and high probability of success.
Kelly Says
The irony of 'safe bet' is that it's essentially an oxymoron - true betting inherently involves risk, so a genuinely 'safe' bet wouldn't really be betting at all. This linguistic tension reflects our human desire to find certainty in an uncertain world, using gambling metaphors to describe situations where we feel confident about outcomes.
Translations
CACatalà
aposta segura
aˈpɔstə səˈɣuɾə
CSČeština
bezpečná sázka
bɛspɛt͡ʃna ˈsaːzka
DADansk
sikkert væddemål
sɛɡərd væðmɔl
DEDeutsch
sichere Wette
ˈzɪçəʁə ˈvɛtə
ESEspañol
apuesta segura
aˈpwɛsta seˈɣura
FISuomi
turvallinen veto
turvalːinen ˈveːto
FRFrançais
sûr pari
syʁ paʁi
HAHA
zariya mai aminci
zaɾiya mai amint͡si
HUMagyar
biztos tét
biʒtoʃ teːt
IDBahasa Indonesia
taruhan aman
taruhan aman
IGIG
ịnye ego nche
ɪɲe ɛɡo nt͡ʃe
ITItaliano
scommessa sicura
skomˈmɛttsa siˈkuːra
KKKK
қауіпсіз ставка
qawipsiz stawka
MSBahasa Melayu
taruhan selamat
taruhan səlamat
NLNederlands
veilige weddenschap
vɛilɪɣə ˈʋɛdənsxɑp
NONorsk
sikkert veddemål
sɪktər vɛdəmɔl
PLPolski
bezpieczna stawka
bɛspjɛt͡ʂna ˈstafka
PTPortuguês
aposta segura
aˈpɔstɐ sɨˈɡuɾɐ
RORomână
pariu sigur
pari.u ˈsiɡur
RUРусский
безопасная ставка
bɛzɐˈpasnɐjə ˈstɐfkə
SVSvenska
säker satsning
sɛkər ˈsatsniŋ
SWKiswahili
pamoja salama
pamoja salama
TLTL
ligtas na pusta
liɡtas na ˈpusta
TRTürkçe
güvenli bahis
ɡyvenli bahis
UKУкраїнська
безпечна ставка
bɛzˈpeʔt͡ʃnɐ ˈstɐu̯kɐ
VITiếng Việt
đặt cược an toàn
ɗaːt kuˀ ʔan toan
YOYO
owó ìdárayá
oʊo ɪdaɾaja
ZUZU
imidlalo eyasinayo
imidlalo eyasinayo